How I imagine a rainy Sunday afternoon? Most people would say Netflix now, but for the poorer people among us it is definitely Youtube. Since I arrived in Russia, I am really trying to watch more Russian movies, series or channels. However, since I am generally not a huge fan of watching movies and watching series makes me addictive, I often choose to watch interesting Youtube Channels on all kinds of different themes. In those three months I dived deeper into Russian Youtube channels in order to find my personal favorite ones. Generally, this is a beneficial way to learn a language and have fun at the same time! These are my top 4:
1. Advocat Egorov
This is one of the most interesting youtube channels I came across, while doing some research on this topic. In my opinion, it is a truly unique channel with a very special character. Advocate Egorov, whose real name is Maxim Egorov, is very famous in the Russian YouTube scene. He owns a company that mainly focuses on Webdesign and SEO optimization, but he also deals with legal matters. Let me now explain what his channel is all about. He makes post-apocalyptic survival videos about DIY equipment, fishing, gardening and building. Most of his videos are shot in nature with him explaining different tasks, like for example, how to make an axe, DIY camp heater that can be used inside a tent, how to make furniture or dishes, etc. It is not only interesting, but you can learn so many useful life hacks! If you ever find yourself facing a Zombie apocalypse, you could survive by learning some of these skills… don’t wait until it is too late – start now!
2. Arzamas
If you are interested in history and culture, then I recommend this YouTube channel. In fact, they do not only have a YouTube channel, but also their own website. Their focus lies in explaining different aspects of culture. To be more precise, they talk about history, art, literature and other culture related topics. Their videos range from short 3-4 minute videos explaining what different changes were triggered by the revolution or in depth videos about, for example, the belief system of Russian noblemen in the 18th century. If you want to have a better overview of all the topics they cover, you better check out their website. It is really amazing, because they are not only offering educational videos for free, but they also have their own radio station, do courses on different topics, have various projects going on and organize events.
3. Orel & Reshka (Орёл и Решка)
Oryol i Reshka is a Ukrainian Youtube channel and TV series that was launched in 2011. It is broadcasted in Ukraine, Russia and Kazakhstan in the Russian language. A friend of mine actually recommended watching the show, so I gave it a go. I want to warn you right away: You might get addicted. Instead of watching 1-2 episodes a day, I watched a whole season in a short period of time. Each episode shows the two main hosts visiting a new country for a weekend. It is not just a regular travel documentary — but more like a social experiment while traveling. They flip a coin and one of the hosts receives a credit card, called the Golden Card, with ‚unlimited‘ credit (it has in fact been limited to US$30,000 per day -but even if you treated yourself, you could barely spend this much money in one day), while the other has to spend the weekend with US$100 including all expenses. Starting with the second season, the hosts hide a bottle with $100 in each visited location for travelers to find. It is really interesting to see the difference in lifestyles and to actually learn new tricks on how to survive on a low budget in a foreign country. This is really a MUST-SEE show!
4. Russian with Max
The last YouTube Channel I would like to show is you „Russian with Max“ – as you can guess, it is a Russian language learning channel I strongly recommend. Max is a qualified Russian language teacher who loves to create interesting and compelling videos that are understandable, authentic and useful for Russian learners. This YouTube channel is very different from other Russian language learning channels, because Max understands the importance of combining fun and learning. His videos are not about explaining dry grammar rules, but are so rich in content. He might be cooking in one video — the focus here, of course, is not about cooking, but about understanding him speaking and learning new vocabulary. He is speaking very slowly and clearly for everyone to understand and he always adds ‚difficult‘ words and their translation as subtitles. Furthermore, he also talks about the cultural aspects of learning a language, like for example, answers questions related to living in Russia or explains why Russians do not smile. He uses real life situations and makes ‚classes‘ out of them – for instance, he goes to a supermarket and does grocery shopping, explains different vocabulary and useful phrases. Russian with Max will not only help you improve your Russian, but will also widen your knowledge about the Russian culture AND all of this, while having fun and enjoying his videos. Check them out!
Learning a language can be very hard and draining. That is why it is so important to find alternative methods on how to improve your language skills. Needless to say, that one has to study grammar and vocabulary regardless of watching Language learning Channels, but it can definitely be a big help – and a fun one as well! If you would like to discover other Russian Channels, go check out Rutube, which is basically the Russian version of Youtube.